Stars of The Lake
Stormgully stared at the sandy beach. The evening sun was lowering and the small waves tickled her paws. Her silent vigil was just beginning, she had just become a warrior. What was supposed to be a happy ceremony, had turned into one of the worst days of her life. Clearpool, Stormgully's beloved sister, had just died. She was wading in the lake, trying to catch a few more fish before turning in. It was morning, and the sky had gone from it's usual bright blue to a dark gloomy grey. Stormpaw, at the time, had let her stay to catch just a few more as she carried her three fish back to camp. Before she returned, Owlpaw, Clearpaw and Stormpaw's best friend, had insisted on coming too. As they approached the sandy shore, they couldn't find her anywhere. They went back to camp and Eelstar said they couldn't wait for their ceremony's, so he sent out two search parties. One to the east side of the lake and one to the west. Both returned quickly. Egretfang's patrol had found nothing, but Brindlesoar's did. Stormgully closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek. She rememebered vividly, Clearpool's body had been smashed against the rocky side of the shore. Eelstar said that she must have swam in deeper and a riptide must have gotten ahold of her. She was already dead, but Eelstar gave hr a warrior name before sending her to Starclan. That was the last Stormgully would ever see of her best friend and sister. She was sent back to reality as a paw prodded her in the side. She wiped a tear and looked at her two older brothers. They looked just alike, each with bright orange tabby coats that reflected the sunset. They looked at her mournfully, and spoke in unison. "We're sorry about Clearpool, Stormgully. Just remember, she was our sister too." Stormgully nodded and pressed her silver-grey tabby coat against Applesun, and Minnowblaze pressed his snout against her fur. He sighed and spoke softly so only the three of them could hear. "I'm gonna miss her...". Stormgully padded through the reeds, her heart pounding. They tickled her nose and she held in a sneeze. She had to catch that fish. Suddenly, a large crushing weight came down on her and she let out a large gasp, the fish swam away. She angrily pushed herself up and turned around to see a wheezing Owlhollow. "Owlhollow!" She yowled furiously. "That was my fish! Stop acting like an apprentice!" His wheezing laugh quickly turned into a frown, and his whisker began to droop. He rolled his eyes, muttering. Stormgully growled. "What? Say it to my face!" He turned around and glared at her defiantly. "Just thought you needed a push to stop acting like everything in the world was evil. You're acting off." Stormgully glared at him and flexed her claws angrily, looking away. "At least..." She turned around to him. "At least I didn't brush off Clearpool's death like a tick! You act like it doesn't even bother you that she's gone! I bet you didn't even care about her!" Owlhollow lurched back, his face becoming more upset than mad. He shook his head and sighed, tears in his eyes so real Stormgully felt sick. "I hope you catch that fish." That was all he said before bounding back into the reeds and disappearing. Stormgully didn't think she could catch the fish. She didn't feel like harming another soul today. Stormgully layed in her den, and empty tree hollow that used to be Diamondpaw and Streampaw's nursery. The moss had been freshly replaced, with a squirrel beside it. She drowsily laid down, but sleep didn't come. What had gotten over her today? All she could think of was Owlhollow. She hadn't meant what she said, but she could't understand how everyone had brushed off Clearpool's death. It had only been two days, surely other cats needed more time to grieve too? Stormgully decided to go and stretch her legs. She bounded out from the rotten hollow and raced out of camp, the half moon glistening on her back, turning her fur silver. She began panting as she ran farther and farther. Eventually, the woods she was in became unfamiliar. She gasped for breathe and closed her eyes, trying to think of what Clearpool would do. How would she get out of here? Nothing came to Stormgully's mind and she began to panic, her mind racing and the world spinning. But then it stopped. Don't panic. She could almost hear Clearpool's voice whispering in her ear. Yes, when they were just kits. They had snuck out of camp, and had gotten lost. Stormgully's breathed slower, and looked around. Be calm! Don't worry Stormkit! We can get out of this, I promise! She smiled at the vague memory of her friend, and a scent tugged at the back of the mind. Stormkit! Do you smell that?! It's salt! Look, I'm getting us out of here already. If we follow the scent, we'll get back to camp. Stormgully closed her eyes, and let the scent carry her through the woods. She almost felt Clearpool's fluffy white and amber fur brushing beside her. "Thank you..." She murmured, and the sensation disappeared. Clearpool had guided her back to camp, she was sure. Stormgully was going much slower heading back to camp than she had going out of it, so by the time she was halfway back it was sunrise. However, before she could return to camp, she found a ragged Blueray searching the shore. Stormgully padded up to her. "Mother? What are you doing all the way out here this early?" Blueray looked up at her and her face flooded with relief. She buried her bright grey muzzle into Stormgully's fur and started to talk. "Oh Stormgully! I'm so sorry I haven't been able to talk to you about Clearpool!" She stepped back and licked Storgully affectionately, then began pacing anxiously. "At first, I thought you would want you space! But then when I heard about Owlhollow, oh I decided I should talk to you! You need comfort and I'm so sorry. You and Clearpool were best friends, and sisters! You had an irreplaceable bond and I'm sorry she had to go so soon! But then I couldn't find you and I was so worried and I just couldn't think what would happen if I lose two daughters in a moon-!" Stormgully hushed her mother and curled beside her, while Blueray shrunk into her fur. "I'm so sorry Stormgully, Clearpool and you... I know that you miss her, and I do too. However, I want you to focus on the now. Owlhollow is still here for you. He was the closest to you beside Clearpool, even closer than me or your brothers. And remember, even if they are older than you, they love you. You can always talk to them, or me. We are your family." Then she let out a small chuckle. "And I'm sure Owlhollow will be someday too." Stormgully trudged through camp, her mood as damp as the muddy ground beneath her. Her grey paws turned an icky brown and she felt the urge to stick out her tongue when a loud command made her turn around. "Stormgully!". She whirled around to see Egretfang's fluffy calico pelt knee-deep in the mud. Her face was sour, and seriously disgusted. "All our prey is being contaminated by the mud! Take Owlhollow, Applesun, and Mistysoar to take all the clean prey out onto the rocks! Someplace dry!" Stormgully nodded and raced to get her clanmates. Oh starclan... she thought as the rain plopped onto her pelt and the mud made her paws stick to the ground. What storm have you brought onto us?\ CHAPTER TWO Stormgully felt the droplets fall on her first. She looked up at the gloomy grey sky, and for the first time noticed it was going to rain. She shivered as the pitter-patter began to get louder, and it began beating on her pelt. Suddenly, it became so hard she was soaked and her pelt stung. She ran back to camp, not sure if she was yelling or the rain was just so loud. Cats began to file in behind her, hearing all the commotion. Stormgully ran to the nursery, which collapsed just before she got there. Spotteddawn leaped out swiftly with two kits in her mouth. She dropped them abruptly. "Pepperkit!" She cried. "Pepperkit!". The two kits she had carried out, Breezekit and Canalkit, shivered by their mother's tortoiseshell fur as she screamed for her kit who was still in the nursery. Darkriver, father of the kits, ran over with exasperation in his face. He ran to the nursery and quickly began moving the broken nursery brambles and thickets. Egretfang began to help, panic in her usually calm or focused face. Stormgully winced as she began to notice the rain again. She picked up Breezekit and carried him to the medicine cave, Asterpaw following with Canalkit, while Applesun and Minnowblaze dragged a sobbing Spotteddawn from the commotion of the nursery. Eelstar leaped apon the clanrock, Egretfang bounding beside him, her usual long groomed fur matted to the side, making it hard for her to see. "L-LakeClaws! Gather beneath Clanrock for a m-meeting!" The vicious rain was making it hard to speak, and only a handful of cats showed. "Brindlesoar, Egretfang, Applesun, and Darkriver! Go fix the nursery and retrieve Pepperkit's body! Minnowblaze, Owlhollow, and Asterpaw! Take all kits and queens into my den, and all elders and apprentices into the medicine den! Stromgully! I need you to go find Windsong and Saltytail. They went out this morning to get more herbs!" Stormgully's eyes widened. Why would Windsong and Saltytail go out for herbs this morning? Saltytail is a medicine cat, and Windsong is a queen! Even if they are best friends, he would know a queen close to having kits shouldn't leave camp! Stormgully nodded and raced out of camp, her mind racing as face as her legs. She raced to the Herb Hollow, where she hoped they would find them. She looked around, no one was there. She sniffed hopelessly, but the hard rain that was battering down on her flooded any scents, but one. A sweet scent that made her her feel warm. Stormgully She looked around, and her confusion clouded her brain. "Clearpool?" She looked around again, this time frantically. Stormgully "Clearpool!" She cried happily. "I knew it! Y-You're alive. It was just a dream! A bad dream!" She let out loud choking sobs, that sounded a lot like laughter. She looked around again, and still didn't see her friend. "Clearpool, you can come out." Stormgully... The Owl Sycamore She looked around, waiting for Clearpool to appear beside her. "I'll... meet you there?" She said, before her vision got blurry, and she fell. Stormgully looked around. She was in a nest of soft moss, it reminded her of her time in the nursery. In fact, she remember now clearly of her and Clearkit pulling that trick on Blueray. She sleepily blinked her eyes, realizing her surroundings were not familiar at all. She was shocked to hear voices of the other side of the bramble. "-We have to leave now!" A female said in a hushed voice. "Well we can't just leave her!" The male said anxiously, though just as quiet. One of them sighed. "She'll be fine! I... I won't, we have to go now! We've been planning this since... since we found out." The male didn't respond for a while. "You really can just... leave them all behind. They're... my clanmates." Now it was the females turn to be silent. Stormgully heard the male coming to check on her. She closed her eyes, but they almost forced back open. The tom... the tom was Saltytail?!